Railway car roof walk



July 16, 1946.

RAILWAY CAR ROOF WALK my 69 i952@ Gl. G.. GnLPxN RAILWAY CAR ROOF WALK 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed June 16, 1943 IN VEN TOR. Geri/z 6 (Z/OUZ, BY

Patented July 16, 1946 RAILWAY CAR ROOF WALK Garth G. Gilpin, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application June 16, 1943, Serial No. 491,255

My invention relates to car roofs, and more particularly to a metal walk construction for a car roof of the type wherein the roof sheetsare adapted and arranged to form a roof having alternating flat-topped panels and fiat-bottom channels connected by rigid upstanding seams located in the channels. Theprincipal object of the present invention is to devise a strong and durable, simple and economical lightweight metal car walk construction that can be quickly and easily applied to roofs of the above type and that will add little or nothing to the height of the car, thus permitting the car roof to be positioned as high as practicable above the rails within the clearancelines established by the railroads and so as to provide a maximum loading capacity for the' car.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in th'e following description thereof.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this application, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts: .4

Fig'. 1 is a broken perspective view of part of a car roof illustrating the application of my improved walk thereto.

Fig. 2 is a, longitudinal section through a portion of a car roof adjacent the walk showing one formY of saddle at one seam cap and another form of saddle at theother seam cap. Fig. .3 is a, side elevation of oneof the walk members.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a walk member.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental view showing in plan the end of a walk member and its application to a walk saddle and seam.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the preferred form of saddle.

Y FigureV 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of saddle.

In the drawings the invention is illustrated as applied to an all metal car roof which comprises a plurality of roof sheets 2 extending between the opposite side walls of the car, the outer ends of said sheets being downwardlyflanged, as at 3,

and rigidly secured to the side plates 4 of th'e car.j

'I'he side edges of said roof sheets 2 are provided with upstanding flanges 5, which anges 5 of. adjacent sheets abut one another forming a seam, which seams are straddled by an overlapping inverted U-.shaped seam-cap illustrated at 6, the sides of which' are secured in any desired manner to said flanges, thus forming .a carline. Between the seams each roof sheet is provided with a longitudinal central upwardly extending fiatf topped panel 'l which is of slightly less depth than s claims. (c1. 10s-157) the seam-caps, as will be apparent from Fig. 1.

The panels are `the deepest at the longitudinal center of the car and decrease in depth progressively from said center toward the eaves of th car where they merge into the flanges 3.

Rigidly secured to eitherV side of each seam cap at the longitudinal center of the car is a walk saddle 8, (Fig. 6), which' is of angle shape, the vertical flange of whichis secured to the side of a seam cap so that the top of the horizontal flange is in a plane with the upper surface of the panels 'l of the roof sheets. The saddles are provided withtransverse cut-out slots `9, which, in the formV shown in Fig. 6, extend around the corner of the saddle. f

Longitudinally aligned metal walk members l0 are provided to extend-betweenthe seam caps,

each of which memberscomprises a flat metal sheet of a, thicknesssubstantially `equal" tothedifference between the depth of the panels l and the top of the seamcap 6 so that Lwhen placed `upon the panel l, transversely thereof-With theV ends of said members supported upon the saddles Vli, the upper surface ofthe walk members and top. of the seam-caps, all along the car, will be in the same plane,.with no projections on said surface, and thus such construction of walk complies with the Safety. Appliance Acts ofthe Interstate Commerce Commission. l

The. ends of the walk members lll are provided with spaced longitudinally extending slits, the sides of which slits are turned downwardly forming anges l I, which flanges or ribs reinforce the ends of the walk members where they span the space between the seam caps and the -panel 1. The sides of th'e walk members are also turned downwardly forming similar ianges at the sides of the ends of the members. The flanges formed at the slits are spaced so as to extend within the cut-out slots 9 of the saddles, and the side flanges are spaced so as to overlap the ends of the saddles, in which' position the walk members are sef cured inY any desired manner to said saddles.

` Before the members are applied to the roof, the.

upper surface of the panels are iirst given a heavy coat of .paint or car cement and then the members are applied, thus sealing said members to said panels and preventing moisture collecting by capillary action thereunder. Y y ,t

3 While I have specied that th'e walk members are of metal, it is obvious that they could be constructed of plywood, plastics, or separate wooden boards without departing from the spirit of the invention. In the case of metal members being used, the upper surface thereof would be rough-v ened r knurled somewhat, and in th'e case of` a wooden board being used, the upper surface would'be left rough, so that in either event the car Walk would have anti-slip qualities.

Either in lieu of or in addition to the provision of a coat of paint or car cement on the panels under the walk members, for the purposel of preventing moisture collecting thereunder', Vthe sides of said members may be welded to said panels and thus more positively secure against water entering between the panels and walk members.,

In those cases wherein it may not be necessary Y for the ends of the walk membersrto extend up to and abut the seam caps, as is the case where the Vpreferred form oi saddle is used, the modified formofsaddle, illustrated in Fig. V7, may be employed. The' only difference between this modificationland thai-illustrated in Fig. 6 is that the Vslots I2 do. not extend around the corner of the angle shaped saddle, and thus when the nanges Il 'of the walk members areY applied therein, the

end of theV walk men'lben'obviously,V can extend Y only tothe depth of the slot. VThis of course would space'the ends of the walk members from theseam caps slightly more than would bethelv case where the saddle shown in Fig. 6 is employed. "From the foregoing it is believed'I have pro` vided lan improved'railway car. walk which will provide from one to two inches more inside clear-` ancewithout increasing the outside clearance of thefcar; that it will-be'ec'onomical and easy to from the end of the member to adjacent the roof sheet panel, and flanges formed in said members at the sides of said slit.

3.y A structure as defined in claim l whereink said means comprises saddles each provided with a'vertical arm connected to aseam construction and a horizontal arm'supporting an end .of said member, and wherein the horizontal arm is slot-VV ted for the reception of said flanges, said walk saddle supporting said walk member between. said slot andthe opposite margins of the walk member.

4. A railway car roof walk comprising a .plurality of longitudinally aligned sections, each section comprising a metallic memberhavinga flat central portion and end portions extending beyond 'said' central portion.' each end portion provided with downwardly turned marginal anges' and longitudinally extending f slits each having'` downwardly turned edges forming flanges toire'- inforce said end portions and means secured' to a seam cfV said car roof and'havingcut out areasadapted to receive the'flangededges slits to supportsaid walkmember.

'5. A Walk for a railway carroof'comprising a pluralityof Y,roof sheets havingalternate Araised panels and'fdepressed portions, andupstanding manufacture and-apply to acar roof; and that 'it-Would belefziight 'weight thereby` correspondinglywreducingY the total 'weight of the car.

Y The accompanying drawings'illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though 'it is to be understood that'the invention is not limitedtoV Y the'rexact details of construction Vshown and de-v l scribed, as it isV obvious that various modifica-V tions thereonwithin the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.'V y

Having'vv thus describedA my invention,vrwhat-I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A'walk for acar roof comprising at topped raised panels with horizontal central portions a1- ternating with depressed channels and rupstanding seam constructions between the panels; said walk comprisinga plurality of aligned members forming a continuous walk substantially between opposite ends of the car, each member extending between and secured to adjacent seam constructions and comprising a flat uniianged central part extending across Vand resting upon the horizon.- tal portion vof a panel, and opposite end parts eachwith depending marginal flanges spanning a channel and extending from a side of said panel to the adjacent seam construction,` and a do-wnf wardly extending longitudinal rib between said marginal flanges to reinforce said endy part and means secured to Asaid seam constructions for Y supporting Ythe endsY of said members.

2. /Awalk for a car roof'com'prising a .plurality of roof YsheetsV extending transversely of the car withupstandingmarginal seam constructions connecting adjacent sheets, and an upwardly Y projecting panel with a horizontal central por- -ftion'in each sheety between said seam constructions; said .walk comprising a plurality of alined members forming a continuous walk substantiallyv seams connecting adjacent sheets,Y said walkl Vcomprising a pluralityV of longitudinallyv aligned sections, each section comprising a metallicrmein-` ber having a at central portion adaptedtorest upon a raised panel of said vcar roof, and end portions extending beyond said Vcentral portion i 'and adapted to span a depressed portion of,.said car ro-of, each end portion provided'y with downf wardly turned marginal iianrges and' longitudinally extending slits each ,having .downwardly Vturned edges formingfangejslto reinforce said.

end'portions, and anangle member .secured to Y a seam of said cary roof and having cut out'areas adapted to receive the ilanged edges of Said'slts to support said walk member.

6. A walk for a railway car roof comprising a plurality of roof marginal flanges and longitudinally extending slits each having downwardly turned edges ,form-V ing flanges to reinforce said end portions, land an angle member securedto .a seam of saidcar roof and having cut out areas adapted to .receive the flanged edges ofsaidslits to support saidwalk member4 7'. A"railway car roof walk "comprising aV Y rality of longitudinally Yaligned sections, each sec' tion comprising a metallic member having a ii'at.

central/portion and end portions extending be-i.

yond said central portion, each' end portion 'pro-.

vided vwith longitudinallyV extending slits each having downwardly turned edges'forming flangesV to reinforce said end portions, a saddle member having a vertical arm connected to a seam and' of said f sheets .having upstanding seams connecting adjacent sheets, said walk com- 5 l a horizontal arm supporting an end of said member, said horizontal arm having cut out areas adapted to receive the flanged edges ofsaid slits f to support said walk member between said slits and the opposite marginsA of the Walk member.

8. An article of manufacture comprising an elongated metallic member of sheet material having a fiat, unfianged central portion and end parts extending beyond said central portion, each end part having downwardly turned marginal flanges and a longitudinally extending slit hav- .5 ing downwardly extending anges at the Vedges of said slit toy reinforce said end part.

GARTH G. GILPIN. 

